A blend of the old and the new negotiated UCC in a chilly Tuesday night challenge at Fraher Field. Maurice Shanahan settled for 1-12 (1-3 from play), Ryan Donnelly made a lasting impression of 1-3 while Shane Fives (in lethal long range form) and Donie Breathnach scored three points apiece.
The band of curious supporters that lightly dusted the stand deemed their fact finding mission worthwhile. Waterford continued with the policy of interspersing the rookies with the more settled members of the panel and a handful again jumped at the chance. They only made two substitutions on this occasion and this made the exercise much more beneficial. UCC were below strength with Conor Lehane, Seamus Harnedy and Darragh Fives all to arrive back for the Fitzgibbon. They piled on the subs after half time but still posed a serious threat until Shanahan’s goal at the end of the second period wounded them fatally. Jamie Barron wore ten on his back and made a spurt in the second half to strike three points overall. Paudie Prendergast started at centre back.
Tadhg Bourke at number four pressed hardest for a place on the Crystal Cup side for Sunday. He was firm and aggressive in the tackle and most assured when emerging with possession. The versatile Clashmore man has driven his club close to intermediate glory in the West and blazed brightly with Dungarvan Colleges. He can operate in almost any line of the field. The full back line is the most likely sector where Derek McGrath will be able to accommodate him for now. In the other corner, Adam O’Sullivan showed off his speed and awareness. Ryan Donnelly struggled to impact Sunday’s game in Castlecomer but this time around he sharpened his touch, had more spring in his stride and cleaned up his shooting. He remains raw at this level yet possesses an air of mischief around the goals. Donie Breathnach will need to eradicate some of his wild shooting but plugged away energetically to plunder three points from play. Tom Devine enjoyed a productive first period at midfield and he certainly seems to maintain the necessary physique to survive the hard knocks of senior.
Maurice Shanahan alternated positions between wing and full forward but was always free to take a score although now and again he could motor on further and take a pop at goal. Shane Fives was making the most of the space afforded him down the right side and rifled over points for fun which raised a few cheers from the loyal collection of followers. And even in January, Michael Walsh was ultra-reliable and vigilant of any ball dropping in behind.
The teams agreed to play three periods of different lengths with Michael Wadding on the whistle relying mostly on the honesty of the goalkeepers to judge some of the scores. After the opening 35 minutes, the hosts led by 0-13 to 1-6. Shanahan shot seven of those and Donnelly grabbed two along with singles courtesy of Breathnach, Tom Devine, Killian Fitzgerald and Fives. For UCC, wing back James Barry and centre forward Dan McCormack inflicted minor damage at the opposite end as Waterford sped 0-13 to 0-4 clear at one stage. Willie Griffin snatched a goal just before the break to reel them back in.
UCC enjoyed a prolific spell at the start of the second period. 1-6 in the space of 12 minutes, including a green flag for Adrian Breen after a point attempt struck the post, put the Fitzgibbon holders in the driving seat (2-12 to 0-15). Substitute Jack Ahern and Jamie Barron were also busy in this sharp burst for the students. Waterford regained the initiative by the conclusion of the second period of 25 minutes (1-20 to 2-12) however, inspired by a couple of booming efforts from Fives and a close range goal through Shanahan.
In the final quarter of an hour, the Lismore sharpshooter added two more points and Donie Breathnach raised his third white flag of the night. With two minutes remaining, Ryan Donnelly killed off the students with a routine finish when placed through one on one.
There are no shortage of options, that’s for sure. 30 players auditioned over two games (including four of September’s minor heroes) and that’s not counting ten that featured against Kilkenny in championship last July. It’s the time of year for bolters to make themselves known and there’s already a couple of names in contention for a league breakthrough with Bourke in particular positioning himself favourably. These youngsters are learning fast and the presence of established names alongside them accelerates the process during these trials. 4-48 banked in two note taking exercises but don’t make too many concrete conclusions just yet.
Scorers for Waterford: M Shanahan 1-12 (9fs), R Donnelly 1-3, D Breathnach, S Fives 0-3 each, K Fitzgerald, T Devine 0-1 each.
Waterford: I O’Regan; A O’Sullivan, M Wyse, T Bourke; S Fives, M Walsh, K Moran; K Fitzgerald, T Devine; D Breathnach, M Shanahan, S Keating; R Donnelly, S Prendergast, M Kearney.
Subs: J Dillon, A Farrell.
Good report, thanks
ReplyDelete